Intro Video

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45. Greece Greece is a 1. mountainous and rocky peninsula 2. with little good farmland, 3. but its long irregular coastline and numerous islands provided fine harbors. Many Greeks turned to the sea to make a living by fishing and trading. Greeks established colonies and dominated trade in the eastern Mediterranean and Black Seas. Greek communities were isolated by mountains so they: developed into independent self-governing city-states that often fought one another.

The leading citystates were 1. Sparta with its strong military government and 2. Athens, the present-day capital of Greece. The Greeks had a polytheistic religion; their gods lived on Mount Olympus.

Greece is known for its classical civilization of 500 to 300 BC. Classical Greek culture, particularly that of Athens, is famed for its 1. beautiful arts, 2. architecture, 3. philosophy, 4. theater, 5. Olympic games, and for 6. creating the first democracy.

Classical Greece is usually considered the principal source of Western Civilization.

Back of Journal: Make a chart with Sparta on one side and Athens on the other – write down 3 facts about each

Back of Journal: Make a chart with Sparta on one side and Athens on the other Sparta Video 1 Sparta Video 2 3 describing words

Athens Video 3 describing words

Back of Journal: Greek Theatre Video 1 interesting fact

46. The Iliad and the Odyssey Modern people still read literature from ancient Greece including the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic [meaning long and heroic] poems by Homer. The Iliad takes place during the Trojan War when the Greeks used a large wooden horse with soldiers hidden inside to defeat the defenders of Troy in Asia Minor. The Odyssey recounts the adventures of the hero Odysseus who had to overcome many obstacles during his 10-year voyage home from the war in Troy. Important: These poems are the first literary works of Western Civilization. The heroes of Greek myths such as the Iliad and the Odyssey served as models of excellence for the ancient Greeks. In both poems, reason and wisdom are more powerful than physical strength. Homer’s Bronze Age poems later inspired a great outpouring of literature during the classical Greek age.

47. Persian Wars Centered in present day Iran, the Persian Empire stretched from the Middle East to India; it was the largest empire the world had yet seen. The Persians tried to add Greece to their empire in the 400s BC, but the Greeks united long enough to defeat them.

47. Persian Wars Centered in present day Iran, the Persian Empire stretched from the Middle East to India; it was the largest empire the world had yet seen. The Persians tried to add Greece to their empire in the 400s BC, but the Greeks united long enough to defeat them. At the Battle of Marathon, Greeks repelled a larger invading force of Persians, and legend says a Greek soldier ran nearly 26 miles from the battlefield to Athens where he died after delivering news of the victory. This legend is the basis for the modern marathon foot race. In fighting ten years later (480 BC), the people of Athens fled to the nearby island of Salamis after the Persians conquered and burned Athens. The Persian king Xerxes had his throne placed on a hill where he could watch his fleet of 700 warships destroy the Greek navy of about 300 ships. Instead, Xerxes watched in horror as the Greeks lured his navy into a narrow strait that prevented many of the Persian ships from joining the battle. The Greeks won the battle, and the Persian Wars soon ended. Because the victory at Salamis preserved Greek culture, some historians have called this “the battle that saved Western Civilization.”

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